Giants

Posey Fuels Giants’ Rally From 6 Down

DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 2: Buster Posey #28 of the San Francisco Giants hits an RBI double during the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 2, 2014 in Denver, Colorado. The Giants defeated the Rockies 12-7. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

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Buster Posey is rounding into form, looking more and more like the 2012 version of the player who won the NL MVP.

Couldn’t have picked a better time, too, with the postseason on the horizon.

Posey homered, doubled twice and drove in four runs, rallying the San Francisco Giants past the Colorado Rockies 12-7 on Tuesday night for their seventh win in eight games.

His solo homer in the sixth keyed a three-run burst as the Giants raced back from a 7-1 deficit to remain on the heels of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. He hit a two-run double in a six-run seventh.

Posey’s prodigious night pushed his average over .300 for the first time since May.

“He’s on fire right now and looking really good,” winning pitcher George Kontos said. “Buster is a guy if something is not going right for him for a week or two or however long it is, he’s a guy who’s going to come out of it.

“He’s going to get in his groove and do what we’re all accustomed to seeing him do.”

Kontos (4-0) kept the Giants in striking distance with 1 2-3 scoreless innings. Manager Bruce Bochy called that one of the turning points of the game.

“As I was getting to the mound, Boch handed me the ball and he goes, `Hold us here and we’ll get you a win,'” Kontos recounted. “He came inside and said, `I told you! I told you!’ It’s crazy how quickly things can turn by putting up a couple of zeroes.”

Especially at Coors Field, where anything can happen and no lead is safe.

“That’s the beauty of this park. It’s easier to come back here than anywhere else,” Bochy said. “Guys did a great job of not getting down.”

Once the Giants got rolling, the Rockies couldn’t cool them off, as starter Jordan Lyles allowed six runs in 6 1-3 innings before giving way to reliever Matt Belisle (4-7), who surrendered another four before being pulled after getting just one out.

Down six runs in the sixth, the Giants began to climb back into the game with Posey’s 19th homer of the season and later a two-run shot from Andrew Susac.

A seventh inning that featured five extra-base hits began with pinch-hitter Matt Duffy grounding out. San Francisco had a two-run double by Posey, an RBI single from Hunter Pence, a run-scoring double by Gregor Blanco that gave the Giants the lead, an RBI double from Susac and a run-scoring triple from Brandon Crawford.

The inning ended with Duffy striking out.

Pence had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 15 games for the Giants.

Josh Rutledge had a two-run triple in the third and DJ LeMahieu followed a two-run homer for the Rockies, who blew their biggest lead of the season.

“Jordan was throwing the ball really well. I was trying to squeeze another inning out of him. But I think he went about as long as he could. I think he was starting to tire.”

Yusmeiro Petit was hit hard, allowing six runs in four innings but was let off the hook with a no-decision by his team’s comeback.

Just the way things have been going for the Giants.

“This is the time of year that’s fun, because you can see the playoffs on the horizon,” Posey said. “Really, that’s the focus, just coming out and trying to win each day.”

Giants: OF Michael Morse suffered a strained oblique in batting practice Monday. Bochy said he expects Morse to return soon.

Rockies: OF Michael Cuddyer (strained left hamstring) said he’s healthy and will be ready to come off the disabled list when he’s eligible next week. In his down time, Cuddyer said he’s drafted four different fantasy football teams.

Giants: RHP Ryan Vogelsong (8-9, 3.73) has given up eight earned runs in 6 1-3 innings against Colorado this season.

Rockies: RHP Christian Bergman (1-2, 5.74) didn’t give up a hit until the fifth in his last start at Arizona. He went 5 1-3 innings in a no-decision.

RHP Brett Bochy had his contract purchased from Triple-A Fresno and will be a long reliever for his father. He didn’t make his major league debut Tuesday night. It’s the second time the Giants have had a father-son, manager-player combination. Moises Alou played for his dad, Felipe, in 2005.